Not all quilts were meant to be snuggled next to the body, or lain across a bed, said Laurel Horton.

For some, the best place is a wall.

"Quilts are not practical," Horton said. "They don't work well as bed coverings because they don't wash well."

Horton has studied the history of quilting since she was a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate student studying folklore in 1975. She shared some of South Carolina's quilting history Sunday at the opening of "Patchwork of Our Past: Quilts and Hand-crafted Textiles in Belton." The exhibit runs through June 25 at the Historic Belton Train Depot.

The quilts, including a wedding ring pattern of interlocking circles, betray the past. Most are clean and bright, stitched in the 19th century, before the Civil War. The Carolina Lily quilt, with petals like geometric windmills, was sewn from 1851 to 1854. Two pieces belonged to John C. Calhoun.

"They're in great condition," said Shirah Heller, director of the Belton Area Museum.

Belton residents loaned most of the quilts, and the museum owns a few. The centerpiece of the exhibit is an American Red Cross quilt signed by Belton's upper class during World War I. A large faded red cross in the center of the quilt is surrounded by lots of smaller crosses. People signed the quilt, as part of a fundraiser, and then it was auctioned.

"Every signature is from Belton so it's a snapshot of the citizens in Belton who were able to afford the $1," said Alison Darby, a volunteer at the museum.

Less moneyed residents used what materials they had, including tweed and pinstripe.

"A lot of times they would take samples from the menswear stores when they got new samples in," Heller said.

Jean Bryant of Anderson is sewing an English paper-piecing quilt with her daughter. She spoke about the technique at Sunday's opening. The quilt's pattern is Grandmother's Flower Garden, formed of small octagons. She sews around small, paper octagons, then takes out the shapes.